


Close for Comfort

by Rumpeltyltskyn



Category: Renegade (TV)
Genre: Cuddling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Finale, bed sharing, touch starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:43:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9113260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumpeltyltskyn/pseuds/Rumpeltyltskyn
Summary: Reno can't sleep. Good thing he's got Bobby around.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a one-shot I posted over on ff.net, I added a second part so I'm posting them both here.

"We _are_ going to get him, Reno."

Bobby Sixkiller studied his partner's face carefully. He observed the dark circles under his eyes, the way he leaned heavily against the wall of the hotel room. Bobby could see Reno's forty-eight-plus sleepless hours, and had to admit to himself he could feel them, too.

"We were so close this time, though." Reno had his gaze cast down to the floor. Both bounty hunters hasn't slept in at least two days, following lead after lead as they chased down the now-wanted Dutch Dixon. "I'm so close to this all being over."

"I know," Bobby sighed, nodding and kicking his feet up onto the bed. "Hendricks could wake up any day now. And when he does, you're going to be cleared."

Reno lifted his head to look at his partner, and Bobby could practically hear the unspoken, ' _If_ he wakes up,' that he mumbled almost every time Bobby brought up the comatose marshal.

Shaking his head, Bobby offered a small, reassuring smile. "I think you need some sleep before you collapse, partner."

Reno managed a smirk. "You've been up just as long as I have," he retorted, but with an edge of exhaustion behind it he couldn't hide.

Bobby spread out his arms, replying with a pointed, "I'm already in bed."

Reno shrugged. "It's pretty hard to sleep, knowing he's out there when he could finally be behind bars, like he deserves."

"Come on, it's just a matter of time, you and I know that," Bobby assured. "But what you need now is _sleep_ , and so do I. You can't find ol' Dutch if you're in a coma, too."

Reno rolled his eyes a bit, sighing slightly and clearing the space between himself and the bed. Sitting down heavily next to Bobby, his shoulders slumped in a mixture of exhaustion and defeat. "God knows I'm dead tired, but I don't know if I'll be able to get to sleep. It's been difficult lately."

"Hey, I know the feeling," Bobby said. "But I also know you, and when you're this tired, you'll be asleep before your head hits the pillow." To Bobby's surprise, Reno kicked off his his shoes and pulled his feet up onto the mattress. He wound up laying back with his heed resting on Bobby's arm.

Bobby shot a quick look between Reno and the empty bed sitting on the other end of the hotel room. "Hey, you've got your own place to sleep, Raines," he reminded.

"Too tired to walk," Reno mumbled, but the smirk that crossed his face as he snuggled his head into Bobby's shoulder left the bounty hunter rather convinced this was partially punishment for giving him a hard time. "Besides, you're comfier, Sixkiller."

If Reno hadn't been fast asleep before Bobby could think of something else to say, he might've been more aggravated at his partner. He couldn't even bring himself to be uncomfortable with the situation. Bobby was too tired, too used to Reno going out of his way to bother him. Reno was always more-than-willing to push his boundaries, and Reno was one of the only people Bobby was willing to blur those boundaries for.

He reached over with his free arm to switch off the lamp besides him, careful not to disturb Reno. If this is what his partner needed to get some much deserved rest, it was the least Bobby could do for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reno wakes up in Bobby's arms and really, really doesn't want to leave.

Reno was just starting to stir when he felt a grip tighten around his waist, strong arms pulling him in to a chest. Panic bubbled up inside him, an instinctual response that someone was trying to capture him, and he was about to yank himself away when he remembered where he was. He took a deep breath, concentrating on slowing his rapid heartbeat.

_You're safe. It's just Bobby. It's just Bobby..._

_Damn! It's Bobby!_

Heat rushed to his face. He was laying facing into his his partner's chest, and Bobby's chin was tucked comfortably over Reno's head. Bobby had him pulled in close, so close practically every inch of them was touching. It was quite the compromising position.

Before he could think, he buried his flushed face into Bobby's shirt. He considered again pulling away, getting away before Bobby woke up and things just got... more awkward.

But _man_ did it feel good. To be in someone's arms, safe, warm...

And for it to be _Bobby_...

 _No_. He wouldn't let his thoughts go there. He couldn't. But instead of pulling out of Bobby's embrace he found himself breathing in the familiar scent of his partner; the expensive cologne he always wears, the fresh scent of his clothes, and something just distinctly _Bobby_. He could just _pretend_ for a moment, right?

 _He's not yours_ , a nagging voice at the back of his mind reminded. He felt Bobby nuzzle his face into his hair and Reno couldn't contain a contented sigh. _But it's not like he belongs to anybody else right now either. Just a few more minutes._

As soon as he felt the bounty hunter stir, Reno pried himself out of his tight grasp and jumped up from the bed, putting as much distance between them as possible. Before he could escape the room, Bobby propped himself up on an arm and rubbed at his eyes, blinking tiredly at Reno.

He must've noticed the slightly panicked look on Reno's face, because he took on a puzzled, worried expression. "You okay?" he asked.

Reno cleared his throat, running his fingers through his hair. "Uh, yeah, fine."

Bobby raised a brow at him. "You got up really fast," he commented off-handedly, sitting up on the bed. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Reno nodded. "Actually I feel... great. Slept great," he said, a bit of honest surprise entering his voice. He'd slept better than he had in a very, very long time, though the craving to crawl back into Bobby's arms was still there.

Bobby swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood, stretching. "Well, glad I could be of help, then," he said with a wry grin.

Reno smiled sheepishly, glancing away. He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks again and a big part of him just wanted to melt away. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I was just-"

"Nah, it's okay," Bobby said, waving it off as he stepped around the bed towards Reno. "If you needed to cuddle to sleep, you could've just asked, babe," he said, a smirk crossing his face and bumping Reno's shoulder with his own as he passed. At Reno's nervous chuckle he turned and gave him a skeptical look. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reno repeated with a shrug. It was hardly true, though. He was somewhere between dying of embarrassment and just dying to be held. 

"Well, I'm going to grab a shower," Bobby said, starting towards the bathroom again.

"Uh, actually-" Reno started, reaching out and grabbing his partner's arm, "one more thing, Bobby."

Bobby turned back towards him with a curious "Hm?", only to be surprised by Reno pulling him into a tight hug. Though taken aback at first, he soon wrapped his arms around Reno's back while Reno buried his face in his neck. Bobby grinned slightly, running a hand absently over his friend's hair. "Hey, Reno, exactly how long has it been since someone touched you? And punching you doesn't count."

"Dunno," he mumbled. "Before we started hunting Dixon I guess."

Bobby's arms tightened around him, almost protectively. "That's like a month ago, Reno." The man just let out a short breath and shrugged slightly without making any move to break their embrace. "Just a reminder I'm always free to hug my best friend."

Reno let out a small, contented hum of acknowledgment. "I'll have to hold you to that offer," he said. "Because you give great hugs, man."

Bobby smirked. "It's a gift."

A few moments later, Reno finally pulled out of Bobby's arms. Bobby let his hands linger a minute on Reno's shoulders, then gently brushed his cheek with the back of his fingers. Reno tried to ignore the tingle it sent across his skin, attributing it to this being the first real human contact he'd had in weeks. "This'll, stay between you and me, right, Bobby?" Reno questioned. 

"Well, I might have to tell Sandy about the great hugs she's missing out on," Bobby joked. Reno swallowed a lump in his throat and forced a small laugh at that. There came that nagging voice again at the back of his mind. 

_He's not yours._


End file.
